Audit finds no fraud in control of air pollution

Thursday, May 28, 1998 | 10:16 a.m.

An independent audit released today on the Clark County Health District's air pollution control program found no evidence of fraud.

But critic Robert Hall, executive director of the Nevada Environmental Coalition, said the report by Stewart, Archibald & Barney ignored $1.1 million he claims is fraudulently missing from the pollution control program.

"It's an admission they can't come up with the numbers," Hall said of the audit.

Hall plans to renew his efforts to launch a grand jury investigation through Attorney General Frankie Sue Del Papa, taking a future probe of the Air Pollution Control Division to the state level.

"In our procedures, we found no evidence of fraud," the report said in its letter to the District Board of Health, which accepted the audit today.

The Air Pollution Control Division collected 99 percent of penalties for violations such as dust or illegal emissions in the past four years, and was able to account for the collections, the audit showed. But certificates for eight out of 23 road paving projects were missing, the audit reported.

As for Hall's contention that funds were missing from the program that allows a company to operate as long as 2 tons of air pollution are removed for every ton released, the audit reported documents missing in 15 of 39 permits. The previous year's penalties are mailed to companies in August, so there is a one-year gap in collecting funds.

Other documents between the time the APCD issued a violation notice to actual enforcement action also were missing in some cases.

Auditors urged the Health District staff to keep better documents, review them and have a supervisor sign off on enforcement actions.

Administrative Services Director David Rowles said the district is developing a computer system that will track all air pollution activity from the investigation through the penalty phase.